The Cleveland Guardians didn’t score a run in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
For Game 2 on Monday in the best-of-five series, Cleveland is switching things up in an effort to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
With that goal in mind, Nathaniel Lowe has gotten some good news for himself.
Guardians Make Nathaniel Lowe Decision
The Guardians have officially inserted Lowe back into the starting lineup for Game 2.
He didn’t get the starting nod in Game 1 with the left-handed Hagen Smith on the mound.
The Guardians played David Fry at first base in the 6-spot in the order for the series opener, a decision some viewed as curious at the time.
Manager Stephen Vogt has quickly pivoted for the second game with the Guardians facing a 1-0 series deficit.
Lowe is slated to play first base and bat fifth.
The order will go Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, Jo Adell, Lowe, Angel Martinez, Travis Bazzana, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio. Gavin Williams is on the mound.
Bailey, like Lowe, didn’t get the start in the series opener. Both players were mid-season trade acquisitions, and now they start Game 2 with a chance to turn the series around for their new ballclub.
Guardians lineup, ALDS Game 2
1. CF Steven Kwan
2. 3B José Ramírez
3. RF Chase DeLauter
4. DH Jo Adell
5. 1B Nathaniel Lowe
6. LF Angel Martínez
7. 2B Travis Bazzana
8. C Patrick Bailey
9. SS Brayan RocchioSP Gavin Williams
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) October 5, 2026
Nathaniel Lowe Stats
Lowe began the 2026 season with the Cincinnati Reds, who he signed with over the winter.
In 83 games with the Reds, Lowe batted .266 with 17 doubles and 12 home runs for an .820 OPS.
Cleveland acquired Lowe before the deadline, and his numbers haven’t been as good with the Guardians. In 43 games, he has a .226 average and .650 OPS, which includes five doubles and five homers.
Lowe still brings a strong hitting pedigree with him, though, and his full career speaks more volumes than his relatively small sample size with Cleveland.
He’s a career .262 hitter at the MLB level with a .770 OPS and 124 career home runs.
Lowe has played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, and now the Reds and Guardians.
Lowe did his best work with the Rangers, including a 2022 season in which he hit .302 with 27 home runs.
He was traded two seasons in a row at the deadline, in 2025 going from the Nats to the Red Sox and now this season from the Reds to the Guardians.
Lowe is a guy who certainly seems to enjoy himself out on the diamond, and he can make a difference.
He did enter ALDS Game 1 off the bench and went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
The Guardians would like to see that positive impact from the very first time through the order on Monday in Game 2.
Guardians Make Big Nathaniel Lowe Decision for ALDS Game 2